ESPE Abstracts

Background: GH deficiency (GHD) occurs due to different aetiologies, morphological abnormalities in pituitary, or mutations leading the individual to lose the genetic growth potential. The pituitary dysfunction can be as GHD alone or associated with other hormones deficiencies. Patients with abnormalities in pituitary may present a greater height loss than others and couldn’t reach the target height (TH) according to final height (FH).

Objectives: To evaluate the FH of patients with pituitary dwarfism treated with GH. Correlate to the initial height, with FH and the TH of the patients. To compare the gain of height until FH in patients with and without pituitary abnormalities changes detected by MRI and/or CT treated with GH.

Materials and methods: A quantitative longitudinal study was conducted through analysis of medical records of patients treated with GH, in the period 1993–2014 at a single service. Inclusion criteria for the study were patients who have reached FH. Initial H-SDS, FH-SDS, TH-SDS, and ΔH-SDS, were obtained and made comparison between patients who did and who did not pituitary abnormalities detected by MRI/CT. Comparisons between means and medians of the initial H-SDS, FH-SDS, and TH-SDS were made.

Results: 34 patients was evaluated, 18 males. 25 without pituitary abnormalities. Highest prevalence of pituitary hypoplasia. There was a significant difference between initial H-SDS in patients with pituitary abnormalities compared in patients without pituitary abnormalities, but no difference were found in FH-SDS in these groups. Although ΔH-SDS in patients with pituitary abnormalities was biggest than the other group, no significant difference was found. All patients reached TH-SDS.

Conclusion: H-SDS in patients with pituitary abnormalities were worse than without pituitary abnormalities at diagnoses. In both groups of patients, FH reached according TH.